Ella + Gavin

Everyone assured me that when Ella started preschool and was exposed to more girls she would become more interested in “girl” things.  Well...that hasn’t really happened.  At least not the playing with the other girls part (or not until just recently).  She just didn’t find that much in common with most of the girls at preschool and preferred instead to play with the boys because that’s what she knows.

But, ironically, it’s playing with the boys that has brought out the girl in her.  Well, not all of them, just one in particular.  It all started when they were both coming to school in matching fire fighter hats.  It might have been love at first sight at that point.  But then he arranged for Firefighter Chris (a family friend) to come with his engine and talk to the class.  From then on, Ella has been very interested in all things Gavin.  She gets shy and embarrassed when saying hi and reacts to his mom like she’s seeing a celebrity.  Unfortunately for her, Gavin is pretty oblivious to her new found giddiness, but that doesn’t seem to bother her.

So it was a pretty big deal to go to Gavin’s birthday party a few weekends ago.  And, thanks to my lack or organization, we were an hour early, so she got an extra hour of Gavin play time.  The party was pirate themed (with pirate-everything-you-can-imagine), and Ella was beside herself to come home with pirate dress up and play accessories (is that a match made in Heaven or what?), a treasure box with candy and prizes and what I think may have been the best three hours of her life so far.  She hasn’t stopped talking about Gavin, the pirate stuff or how Gavin is going to come to her birthday party.

She was absolutely going to sit next to the birthday boy!  Oh, and she even picked out a new "ladybug" outfit to wear to his party- yes, he's inspired her to wear "girl" clothes too.

Costumes and accessories- and not the princess type- are the way to Ella's heart.

Ah, the pirate tattoo...she insisted that we not wash it for a least a week.

My favorite part is seeing the excitement and confidence that Ella is developing in this new stage of self discovery, which is full of lots of “I love you”s and plenty of loving affection (and a little less growling).  I have to admit that I’m loving her softer, sweeter side.  And if Gavin remains oblivious, that’s just fine with me :)

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans..."

Aint that the truth.  Life has been busy and happening all over the place over the last couple months.  Here is my best catch-up-nutshell version of our crazy life...

We survived yet another tax season.  Are they getting harder or are we just getting older?  Or both?  The good news is that I'm looking forward to that post-labor amnesia that should be kicking in any day now where looking back "it wasn't that bad...".  The GREAT news is that Brian really likes his job.  And, really, life is too short not to. 

Blake earned his yellow belt in karate, way to go, Blake!

Of course now it's getting harder and he hasn't totally committed to practicing, but I'm hoping the hitting and kicking techniques will change his mind (so long as he doesn't practice those on his siblings).  When he's not going kung foo, Blake is putting his new pocket knife to use following his  recent Cub Scouts refresher on whittling.  He's so proud, what do you think of his fish?

Note: whittling a small bar of soap takes a lot of- okay, too much- focus and patience for a group of excited third grade boys.

We also learned how to ski Southern California style- on grass, of course! 

It actually turned out to be a really good team building exercise with Scouts that ended up being very akin to rowing.  And I'm happy to report that Blake seems to finally be doing much better in school...now that it's May.  No doubt he's looking forward to summer and more fort building (he actually builds rooms in his forts!).

Garrett has continued to amaze us with his unique and original Lego creations.

This is the "graveyard" he built complete with headstones, a "creepy" tree, spider web and spider.

Watching Garrett construct this sphinx was pretty amazing- he new exactly what piece needed and where to put it.  He built his in under 5 minutes.

It seems like daily that he comes up with something new.  I can't wait to see what he comes up with at Lego camp this summer...should be interesting.  While I'm still trying to wrap my brain around him turning eight, Garrett has managed to finagle three family birthday celebrations and a friend party next month.  This kid is going to be a millionaire someday...  These days he's added another Character Counts wristband to his collection after being rewarded at school for turning in money he found on the playground.

Does this nullify the Character Violation he got earlier that week? 

Chase is still a bigger version of his sweet and loving self.  He's become quite the talker these days and goes from 0 to frustrated in about .01 seconds...patience is not this child's virtue.  But, fortunately, being too darn cute is.  And so are compassion, affection and cuddling.  Yeah, he's pretty irresistible.  He's also become quite the little dancer/singer.  Here are his moves to Michael Jackson's "Beat It".

Otherwise, his biggest challenge right now is trying to be "one of the 'big' boys" when his body is only three (which doesn't help his frustration).

Ella got her first hair cut!  Yes, while Chase has had more than we can count, we've been holding out on getting Ella's haircut so she could have long hair.  And now that she does, she wants it cut "like a boy".  The compromise was just a trim, which turned out much better than I was anticipating considering that she was growling at the stylist the entire time. 

She even got a style (something I'm strictly prohibited from going).  In the end she walked away with a "Jedi" braid- the one and only time, I'm sure.

She has also become quite enthused with drawing.  Here is the first official drawing that is recognizable to others- can you guess what it is?

It's kind of hard to see, but according to Ella it's a spider.

Now if I could just harness that creativity exclusively to paper... 

And, of course, she is still dressing up (and undressing) Ella-style constantly.  

Here's one of the coolest things about preschool- the twins got to celebrate their "special day" at school, where they celebrate non-school birthdays.  They were super proud to have Aunt Renee come to read a few of their favorite books.

Aimee.  My updates are a little less exciting...I'm still running about 20 miles a week, which is good considering I discovered cake pops (and really wish I hadn't)! 

Other than keeping up with family, I've been working a little less and am promising myself I will make time to write more.  Summer is just around the corner and I'm ready- or at least armed- with workbooks, summer camps and sunscreen.

Easter was low-key this year.  Mostly because we had been too busy to plan much more than an egg hunt and a totally nontraditional (but easy) lasagna dinner.  I really need to talk to the Easter bunny about rescheduling Easter for AFTER tax season.  Just as well- we went light on the egg hunt too, since I had already eaten most of the candy. 

Mother's Day was also low-key (the theme around here when things get crazy).  And, you really can't go wrong with a massage to celebrate.

 

This was the Mother's Day Tea at the twin's preschool where the kids in the class created the menu for the moms.  This year it was chicken noodle soup, lemonade and chocolate ice cream.  Yum? What I love about that is that they are all comfort foods, which tells me the kids love the comfort of mom!

 

Then there was the hailstorm of '12.  We had a few days of cold rain and hail- so much so that it accumulated just enough to make ONE snow/iceball.  By the next weekend it was 80 degrees, so that was our winter and then we were into spring.  It was fun while it lasted.

One of the coolest things about San Diego is "Free Tuesdays" at Balboa Park.  On this day we went with Nana to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs (of course) and then went to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center where the kids got to explore for hours.  A portion of the upstairs was dedicated to stick building- whatever you can imagine and build!  We all had fun building masterpieces (and learning about physics...).

Over Spring Break the kids and I got to visit with John, Jen, Patrick and Jessica, who we haven't seen in almost eight years!  What a great time (minus the stomach bug that knocked a few of us down), and how fun to be grown ups and reminisce about childhood!  It was especially fun getting to know Patrick and Jessica a little better- what sweet kids (which is strange to call them, since they are both taller than me and twice as big since the last time I saw them).

Speaking of family, we recently had the privilege of hosting a family of House Wrens in the birdhouse the boys made with Grandpa a few years back.  Blake was the first to notice it, but I was doubtful because I thought the hole was too small.  Turns out, it was just the right size for a small bird and perfect shelter for a nest!  

In fact, we've had quite a variety of birds hanging out at our house lately- a Scrub Jay that waits on our patio for bread crumbs, a Coopers Hawk and a Redtail Hawk that consider our yard prime hunting grounds, hummingbirds that keep checking back to see if we've refilled our feeders, and a woodpecker that can be heard and seen poking at the neighbors' trees.  Blake even did his school presentation on birds- and a special thanks to Aunt Nee Nee for helping him!

And in the midst of it all, we moved Penny/Grandma & David/Grandpa in early March to be closer to us.  The move was all that Penny had talked about wanting for years, and we were able to spend a little more time with her in the last month.  Sadly she passed away just a few weeks after moving here (more on that in another post) and we think about and miss her often.

The good news is that this summer is promising to be unforgettable!  The boys are really looking forward to fishing and bird watching with Grandpa, going to Lego, Lasertag and rock climbing camps, and hopefully spending most other days in their bathing suits (literally, not metaphorically, although nothing would surprise me in this house).  Chase & Ella will hopefully be taking swim lessons and tumbling.  And I'm just hoping to keep my sanity :)

My Ninjas

As we see basketball season coming to an end for Garrett, we welcome something different for Blake...karate!  So far he's loving it.  It's a less formal and more fun format than your traditional karate studio, but he's already earned his first white tape.  That means he's got the four-corner block, double punch and slide step down.  Here he is working on his side kick.

It's been a great place for Blake to focus his attention and energy, especially since he's such an intense kid.  And hopefully it's alleviating some of the stress being created by the pressures of third grade.  Yes, third grade- can you believe it?  That's another story for another time, but speaking of class, check out this stop motion movie Blake made (with Brian's help) for a class presentation.  Technology is so amazing...it scares me.

As a spectator of the sport karate and with the constant presence of Ninjago in our house (Legos+ninjas=Ninjago), Ella donned one of her more creative get ups as a "bad ninja".  What brought my attention to this was Garrett's question, "Uh...mom, why is Ella wearing pants on her head?".  Well, to create the ninja mystique a la mask, of course!  Chase decided to be "bad ninja's kitty" and there you have it.

Never a dull moment in this house.  And, as if that isn't enough fun, let's give a warm welcome for spring tax season!  And February?  What happened to January????

Chaos in Motion

Yep, that's us. It's tax season, back to school, soccer season, starting preschool, Cub Scouts season, potty training (round 2), Poway Days celebrations, monthly group meetings, half marathon training, so on and so forth. Life in our house is anything but boring. Unless the power goes out in the ENTIRE SAN DIEGO COUNTY...then life comes to a screeching halt and we are left scrambling for simple things like batteries and light.

When we are running full steam, however, here are some of the things we've been up to.

BACK TO SCHOOL
This year Blake is in third grade and Garrett is in second. So far it's been a bit of a learning curve for all of us, as this marks the very first time Garrett hasn't followed in Blake's footsteps for teachers. Third grade has been a new experience with A HUGE jump in responsibility placed on the student and much higher expectations for his quality of work. Gone are the days of happy faces and stars...now it's all about the numbers. And, for me, it's all about learning to find peace with giving up control and having faith in my child. Ironic how watching my kids go through school reminds me about how much more I have to learn.

My sweet Blake is still willing to give me a "first day of school" smile.

Garrett seems to be adjusting better to second grade than years past. He's taking his work seriously...and taking his fun seriously too...a little too much for his own good. Garrett loves to be the life of the party and will do just about anything to be the funny guy...which often means not thinking things through before he does them. Let's just say he's earned himself a few conversations with adults and benched recesses to remind him about appropriate behavior at school. I shudder to think what college will do to him...Yes, I know, have faith in him!

Garrett, on the other hand, was thoroughly embarrassed of me taking pictures and wouldn't even look up.

KICKIN' BACK
Soccer season is in full swing. This is Garrett's first regular season and Blake's second. Garrett had begged for me to sign him up following the off-season, but once the regular season rolled around he begged me not to make him go. Another opportunity for a lesson in responsibility... And of course now he's loving it! He easily towers over the other first and second graders and isn't afraid to go after the ball. The combination gives him a big advantage. He's not the fastest or most coordinated kid out there, but he plays with all heart and is seeing success because of it. And he makes a pretty good goalie. Hopefully next week I'll remember to take pictures...

Since Blake's birthday is a little later, he's playing with several older kids. This is good for skills building and as long as he's having fun- which he is- it's all good. He still likes to give the ball a big boot when he can and plays the all-important role of "assisting" (he's usually quick to pass the ball). It's not his nature to be aggressive, and that's just fine with me. (One of the perks of being Team Parent is that OTHER people are taking pictures of your child while you are not).

Up next? Blake wants to "take a break from sports" (insert sigh of relief of less shuttling/toddlers napping at 6pm/rush to finish homework and eat dinner by 5pm/playground supervision/stuck at a school with locked bathrooms and toddlers who are potty training). Garrett, on the other hand, is anxious to try out basketball...so we won't be wasting any time with him between sports. I'll keep you posted on this adventure!

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL
It's the milestone I've been waiting for...the twins' entry into preschool! I knew they would absolutely love it, and they have. Of course, this also required a greater emphasis on potty training, which, with four kids, can be challenging to say the least. Ella is pretty sufficient, but Chase still needs some work. Now that he's been seeing some success with it, though, he's finding more interest in it. I don't think it gets "easier" until they are totally training AND CAN HOLD IT. That will take a least a few more months.

The twins LOVE their teachers (who were also Blake and Garrett's teachers). They have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the classroom and playground, playing with new toys and in novel ways, and circle time with songs and books. They haven't quite embraced the opportunity to make friends, but that will come and it's interesting to note that they don't necessarily play together for most of the day.

The twins hardly looked up when I left. Yep, they were ready...they are officially "preschoolers"!

So, to answer the question I get at least once a day....YES, I am enjoying my new "kid-free" time, but the time I get is anything but free. I find myself cramming six hours of cleaning, errands, and appointments into my 2 hours of kid free time. Just as well...I'm not the kind of person to curl up with a book or spend hours at the coffee shop. It's a schedule I can work with and I no longer cringe at the thought of going to the store for just one thing.

And just in case you're wondering what they learn in preschool, here is Chase to give you a glimpse:


QUALITY TIME WITH GRANDMA
If she can't come to us, we will go to her!

We have been heading east on Friday's after school to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa and get in some good play-and-eat-to-your-heart's-content fun and relaxation. You would think that the twins would be well rested, but...

this is the aftermath of an afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa. A double treat for me- sharing kid time in the afternoon and coming home to have some quiet time.

Of course, if you want to be technical, the twins are also in the process of outgrowing naps. Some days they do just fine without a nap...and others, well, this speaks for itself!

SEA LIFE
The boys were treated with a day at San Diego's Maritime Museum and the Tall Ships Festival with Papa Jim and Nana Sharlene. Nothing like a couple of life-like pirates to keep them in line!

These are the kinds of outings the boys don't get much of these days without the twins in tow, so I am sure this was a welcomed changed of pace!

And, more the twins' speed, we spent a day with Papa and Nana at the Birch Aquarium looking at interesting sea life. This was a first for Chase & Ella and they especially enjoyed the tide pools (or at least thinking about touching some of the slimy sea stars and cucumbers). Chase has a thing for lobsters, which you are more likely to see at the grocery store than the aquarium, but he found a plastic one in the play area that he had a hard time parting with.

Until he found the shark mouth. The novelty was too much to resist and, consequently, there are several families out there who likely have a little Chase in their family picture!

Getting Schooled

Three days into school and...so far so good (phew)! We were very excited to learn that Garrett would have Blake's teacher from last year, and that Blake was in a class with a great teacher and some good friends. A great start to hopefully a great year.

They actually loved going back to school, but the picture-taking...not so much (hence the other "candid" shots). Isn't six years old way too young to be too cool for your parents?

One big difference this year is that Garrett and Blake will have different recesses, which means that Blake won't have Garrett's back when it comes to other kids and having someone to play with (except in the mornings). I actually think this is a really good thing, since Garrett has yet to find a "best friend".

First thing, Blake showed Garrett the morning playground routine.

Blake lacing up to start racking up his running miles. This year his goal is to get to 100 miles by the end of the school year!

And Garrett is off to look for a soccer buddy.

As for the twins, this time next year they will be starting preschool. From the looks of it, they will be well-prepared. I just hope I am.

Congratulations to the boys for a great beginning to first and second grade! Hopefully they'll still feel the excitement when the homework starts rolling in...

The Merry Month of May

One of the drawbacks of being really busy and not using that as an excuse not to exercise is that I fall behind on other things. Like updating our blog. Rest assured that there has been plenty going on with the Wilcox household, and while another drawback of being constantly on the move is that there is less picture taking, there are still plenty of memorable highlights from the last month or so.

Mother's Day: It wouldn't be Mother's Day without the token school-made trinkets, cards and hand-made terrarium. But it was the very original tomato snowman that Blake insisted upon giving me that made it memorable. That, and the feeling of being very loved. (Okay, so it's a little odd, but it's SO Blake. And kudos to Brian for believing in Blake's vision and helping him execute it).

Garrett's First School Performance: Every year at Open House at school they have the kindergartners sing a few songs on stage for the parents. Well, at least all the other parents got to watch...Brian and I were too busy chasing the unrestrained twins around the auditorium. This is also the same reason I didn't get any good pictures of Garrett on stage...but it's just as well. Despite his enormous personality and lack of volume control at home, Garrett gets very shy on stage and spent most of the time chewing on his shirt collar. You would have thought all those hours practicing in the shower would have boosted his confidence...

Blake's Class Field Trip: Another day at the zoo, but this time it wasn't my house or the classroom- it was the real zoo! It was a fun day spent looking at all the exotic creatures and learning something new. For instance, did you know that a polar bear's favorite food is a carrot? And, yes, we got to see polar bears "plunge" and elephants spew water. In fact, most of the animals were especially active as our bus wound around the park. But as a chaperon of three boys, the real highlight (for them) was seeing the Reptile House (with every creepy kind of snake and reptile you never hope to meet) and the Insect Exhibit with the much-more-tolerable ant farms and bee hives. But best of all, it was a quality day spent with one of my favorite students (far right).

Cubs, Tigers and Wolves: After his first year as a Tiger Cub, Blake was officially promoted to a Wolf Cub. Blake is a great match for Boy Scouts (except for the whole painting-on-the-face-thing) and has been earning patches faster than Grandma can sew them on (which, come to find out, is somewhat of a science). As Blake finishes out his first year, Garrett gears up to join as a Tiger Cub this summer, and then officially this fall, with Brian as his den leader. I couldn't be more proud of my boys! (second from the left)

School Carnival: I don't mind volunteering for field trips and helping teachers in the classroom- in fact, I enjoy it! I feel it's a privilege and my responsibility to be involved in the institution where my kids spend most of their time. But anyone who's ventured down the path of school volunteering can tell you that before you know it you will be chairing, running or organizing something significant. And while I've managed to resist that to some degree, I'm always amazed at how many parents don't really care. As for my family...the boys care, maybe too much. They expect that whatever I do for one class, I will do for the other. So while I didn't have to organize the school carnival (other than filling shifts), I did have to work the class booth. For BOTH classes. Still, I enjoyed seeing the proud look on the boys' faces when they saw me working. What I will remember most, however, was watching Garrett anxiously count and save his carnival tickets...and wait in long lines...to buy junk food. He played a few games, but to him the real prizes were the cookies and soda. I guess we know where that apple fell from...

Cans for Critters: As part of the reward for collecting and recycling cans through Cub Scouts, the boys (and Brian) were treated to a day at the Wild Animal Park. (I know, it's only May and we've already done all the "summer stuff"...) They got to go to an exclusive bird show, tour the park and be with friends and fellow Tiger Cubs.

But the best part, if you ask Garrett, was the five or so Lorikeets that sat on his arm and drank sugar water from the cup he was holding. For the kid who loves birds, it is something he will never forget.

50th Anniversary Party: Like I said, May was a busy month. Another first for the boys...going to a "grown up" party to celebrate their Great Aunt Joyce & Uncle Gene's 50th Wedding Anniversary. And while the boys couldn't help but whine and complain about the car ride (5 hours to Palm Springs? Who can blame them?), getting dressed up and just about everything else, what they didn't expect was...to have fun. Garrett channeled his inner party animal and danced the night away....literally. Hard to believe we're talking about the same boy who stood on stage just weeks earlier, nervously chewing on this shirt. Blake had fun too. Turns out, they have decided that "grown up" parties aren't so bad.

I don't know who was more entertained...Garrett, his cousin Emmie, or the party guests.

Swimming like fish: Since Brian wanted to actually have complete conversations and catch up with family members, I opted to stay home with the babies and bring them up on Sunday for some visiting and time in the pool. This was their first experience in the swimming pool, as it's quite a production. At first they hesitated, but after half an hour or so (and once the boys stopped "showing off" and splashing the babies with their cannon balls) they decided they liked it! And we were reminded that two year olds lack impulse control and telling them to WALK around the pool makes them want to RUN! Definitely a two-person (or more) job. Now if I could just convince Ella to take off the goggles...

Memorial Day: The month ended on a high note with Memorial Day. We carried on our annual tradition of planting flowers in the front yard, hanging the flag and talking to the boys about the holiday. This is the unofficial beginning of summer at our house. Which of course included hot dogs and burgers and some fun time spent outside. But the best part was...just being a family.

Of course, for the boys, there's no way of knowing for sure what they will really remember. For Blake, it might be his hikes with Dad.

For Garrett it might be building 500+ piece Lego sets designed for 8+ year olds...all by himself!

Sometimes it's the contrived moments for which we carefully plan...and sometimes it's the simple, unexpected moments of pure joy that remind us that what's truly important.